Last night at the Social I experienced an odd show. The Courtneys, Maria Taylor, and Mates of State. Quite the lineup. Every band was way different, some good, some bad.
The Courtneys (an Orlando local) were up first. They could only be described as the bastard child of Tegan & Sara and Le Tigre. You think that sounds cool? Think again. The vocals left something to be desired (think Mickey Mouse screaming incoherently) and while one gal did have a stack of synths on the stage, the sound patches she was using were downright painful. I really wanted to step up on stage tweak the MicroKorg so it would be listenable. Eh, whatever.
I'm sure they appeal to.... someone. Just not me. Who cares, I'm sure they'd hate my band.

Up second was Maria Taylor. I'd heard some of her tunes online and really enjoyed them. Her band consisted of herself and five other people. The music was rather mellow and everyone on stage just stood there. They looked bored and miserable. Perhaps they should change their name to "Maria Taylor and her Army of Mannequins". Amanda suggested they add a seventh member to the band who just stands on stage and dances.

Up last was Mates of State who were absolutely amazing. They were so tight as a band and sounded exactly like their CDs. Every song was killer. I'm not a diehard fan but I heard a lot of songs I recognized. They rocked out for an hour and had an amazing stage presence for just two people. Maria Taylor's band should watch them more and take notes. Great audience participation and they were really cool about letting the crowd yell out songs for them to play.

Overall a good show, but I would have appreciated a better opening act.
Can't win 'em all.

Tonight: Limbeck.
Twice.

_Wes

I'm drooling on myself.



That is all.

_Wes

My week just got way cool.

In store for tonight is a crazy game night with the band, tomorrow I'll be headed downtown to the Social to see Mates of State with Amanda, and on Thursday evening Doug and I had planned to head over to Park Ave CD's to see Limbeck's in-store performance. But to top it all off, I just got 2 free tickets to the actual Limbeck show at the Social for that same night. It's been about a year since I've seen those guys live so I'm hoping they'll be just as fantastic as they were the last time around (where I was one of 5 people in the crowd).

About time some good luck came my way. I hear the scratch off tickets calling my name...

_Wes

Hey friends, we made it back from Sarasota alive!

We hit the road Saturday afternoon, sat in extensive traffic on I-4 and then regrouped at a gas station in Lakeland after we all got separated in the chaos. We took a whopping three vehicles for this journey as our good friend Tiffany decided to make the trek to come have some fun as well. Doug and I have always joked about taking $5 after every show and spending it on scratch off lottery tickets in an attempt to double our money. Since we were 10 miles ahead of everyone else, we did just that. Since I have the worst luck in the entire world, I really shouldn't have been the one to scratch them, but that's just the way it goes. Out of 5 tickets, all I won was a free ticket. From that free ticket I won a dollar. When I went back into the gas station to redeem it, the aged lady naturally assumed I had a gambling problem and rather than give me the dollar, she gave me another ticket which quickly proved a bad decision since I didn't win anything. Better luck next time.

Once we finally made it Sarasota we checked into a Best Western hotel near the venue grabbed some food and then headed over to the venue which was completely empty and blasting booty-shakin' tunes. I grabbed a beer and chilled out with everyone else and waited for the sound guy to set up the stage. We were told we were opening the night, so we quickly loaded in and started soundchecking. In the middle of the line check, some girl ran up to me to say that she had spent a dollar on the jukebox and we had played over both her songs. She suggested we play the songs she had paid for as compensation. We didn't know the songs so I jokingly dedicated our set to her. I never did see her again. Perhaps she was offended.

We played a good 30 minute set on the tiny stage (and played well) then took some chairs for the second band called aNDY who were really quite good. They mixed some good old rock and roll with some unintentional stand up comedy. Good times. aNDY are good people and we hope to play some shows with them again in the near future. During their set, their energetic guitar player was jumping around like a mad man eventually losing his balance and crashing into his guitar amp and coming close to crashing through a window. Good times.

We were tired and looking forward to a good party so we cut out midway through the 3rd bands set (Sorry guys, we normally don't do that) and headed back to the hotel where we quickly realized that every plan we had to supplement fun was shot down. Couldn't hook up our videogames to the hotel TV, couldn't get any decent television stations, and the one dollar deck of playing cars JoAnna had purchased earlier in the evening turned out be made specifically for Pinochle and only had a quarter of the deck necessary to play any other game ever invented. We entertained oursevles with silly conversation, terrible jokes, and general mischeif which we won't get into just in case a representative from that Best Western happens to come by this blog. Bert had to work early in the morning the following day so took off for Orlando around 2am.

The night was plagued by a temperamental car alarm and sharing a bed with Doug didn't help me to fall asleep any quicker.

I awoke to find Douglas gone, and no money on the nightstand so I hunted him down via telephone only to find out he was just outside the door. Crafty fellow. After a quick breakfast stop at Bob Evan's we hopped back on the road to Orlando.
The high point of the drive home was pulling up behind a van that read "Jumbo: The Magic Clown" and upon pulling up alongside the vehicle we were greeted with a disgruntled looking fellow actually dressed up in clown garb. I'm telling you, it doesn't get much weirder than that.
Got home. Slept. All in all, a great experience. I'm sure you guys will see some crazy video from it all one day.



Next stop: Daytona Beach on Friday, April 14th.

_Wes

We'll be on the road to Sarasota in just a few hours now, so hopefully it's a smooth trip and no one gets too crazy from being stuck in the car for an extended period of time.

At recent shows people have been telling me more and more that they read this crazy blog of ours. So thanks for taking a peek inside our minds. Scary place, eh?
Now that I can use this as a forum to reach more people I wanted to ask a favor of everyone. If you own a copy of our EP "Sarcasm is Your Friend" what would really help us out is if you could take a few minutes and write a review of the disc for iTunes, cdbaby.com, or both.
That would be helpful to us, so we know what you think, but also for people who are thinking of maybe purchasing the CD. It only takes a few minutes and we'd love it if you helped us out with this.

Have a great weekend.
After we're done rocking at The Clubhouse Tavern tonight, we'll be shacking up in a hotel near the beach enjoying cold beverages, crazy antics, and terribly lame jokes.

All the best.

_Wes

This Sunday Moog Music will be unveiling their new analog Synthesizer. It'll be the first instrument released by the company since Dr. Moog's death. For the last 3 weeks there has been speculation on what it could be, but now the tech specs have been released.
It's gonna be freakin' sweet.
I'm counting the pennies.
Expect to see me rocking out on one as soon as they are released and sounding better than ever.

I'm such a dork.

_wes

As much as I hate doing so, I'll admit when I'm wrong.

If you're a frequent reader of this blog then you know that Doug and I like to talk up certain bands. In the past, I've made mention of a spectacular band from Cherry Hill, New Jersey known as The Progress. We first met them at a festival we played in Ocala, Florida at the end of 2004. They were amazing. I picked up a copy of the 5 song EP they were supporting called "Golden State".

Clocking in around 15 minutes, it was such a solid disc but always left me wanting more. A few months later, I ordered of a copy of their very first (and now out of print) self titled EP. It was also solid. When I saw that they were planning a summer tour in July of 2005 I was quick to help them out with a Florida show that sadly didn't go off so well. However since the guys are super nice we offered them a place to stay for the night and Bert and myself stayed up most the evening just talking to them and picking their brains about the life of a touring band. They had just signed to the label Negative Progression and were soon going to be recording their debut LP.

It's now about 7 months later and their LP entitled "Merit" is going to be hitting stores all over the country on April 25th. They've been releasing a song a week on PureVolume to preview the album. When I initially started listening to these tracks when they started posting them a month or so ago I was not impressed. Golden State was full of hooks and clever lyrics whereas these newer tunes didn't grab me on the first listen like the previous albums. However (this is the part where I admit that I am wrong) after listening to the songs each night after work, they have officially grown on me and now I am eagerly anticipating the release of the album.

If you are not familiar with the band, please check them out on MySpace (www.myspace.com/theprogress) to familiarize yourself with 2 of their older tracks that initially reeled me in, then cruise over to www.purevolume.com/theprogress and preview half of the tracks on Merit.

Please please please support this band. Next time they venture through Florida, we hope we will be sharing the stage with them again. Great guys, great music, great things ahead.

Thanks!

_wes

Craziness all over the place.

First, Doug chops off most of his hair. Next, we find out that Bert has to work at 6am Sunday morning and we're playing in Sarasota the night before. We had a hotel room rented out to have an after show party extraordinaire, but it looks like we'll be having it Bert-less. His birthday is coming up so we'll make it up to him then. Of course, he'll be out of town for his birthday, so we'll make it up to him eventually. Come to think of it, my birthday is coming up in just 2 weeks.
Interesting ENY tidbit: Bert has a birthday the day before mine (he's April 3rd, I'm April 4th), however he is one year younger, so for one day each year, we're the same age. That's pretty cool, right? ....Right?

Bert is turning the big old 21. He's gonna get a new lease on life. I sure did when I turned 21. You actually feel like a human being. A registered member of society. You get a free membership to the Blackout Club. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him so that he doesn't get too crazy.
I'm turning 22. Finally, age no longer matters, I can now coast through the rest of my days and look forward to the depression I will likely suffer when I turn 50.

And the best news of all? I've got pieces of 4 new songs that I'm currently messing around with. Based on past experience, it's likely that none of them will ever become finished product, let alone demos, so don't hold your breath. I think it's funny how I really draw a lot of song material from personal experience, but then when I actually have a lot of stuff happening I can't actually focus enough to write about it. It always ends up with me looking back and writing retrospecively. That works just as well in my opinion.

We're trying to design new tshirts. Got any ideas? JoAnna has a design that's pretty killer and will hopefully appear on mobile apparel as soon as we work out the kinks.

We've played every weekend for about the last month. It's almost like we're a real band or something.
Anyone selling a van? This 2 car thing is getting ridiculous.

I always take personal shots at people in my blogs. Not this time. I've above that. And no bad jokes either. Not until I get some new material.

MySpace is the ultimate time waster. I've never read so much stuff I didn't care about until I discovered that website. I don't think I need that window into my friends minds. I feel like I'm spying in. I might as well just sit in the tree outside their windows with a microphone aimed at their window. At least there's a challenge that way.

So, who's getting sick of our EP? No one? Good. That thing's gotta last you a while.

Ever have a cell phone against your head for so long that your ear starts to burn? As long as the conversation's good, you never feel it until you hang up.
I can talk for hours about nothing and everything all at once.

_Wes

Yesterday we packed up the cars and took a trip over to Edgewater near Daytona to play a show at a birthday party. Yes, we do parties. Our friend Tiffany's brother, Mike, who is a big ENY fan is in the military and will be headed back to Germany before his actual birthday so we decided to crash it so he'd actually be able to see us play.
We played on a big deck beside a canal for his friends and family and had a blast.
I almost didn't make it on time since someone didn't bother to make sure I was awake when the alarm went off :)
Regardless, I got to the meeting point on 3 hours of sleep and we took the hour and a half drive (not 30 minutes like we were originally told) out towards the coast.

Their family took great care of us, supplied plenty of food and drinks and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Hopefully Mike won't soon forget his 20th birthday.



That's how far we're willing to go for our friends.

Speaking of friends, ever notice how sometimes you tend to torture and aggravate the people you love the most? I'm pretty much the master at that. I never mean to do it, and never realize it until I've gone too far. Then I have to backpedal and hope that the damage isn't permanent. Just remember, never let the little stuff get in the way of the big picture. Focus on the positive. Solve your own issues and don't try to blame them on anyone else.

And on that prudent note, have a spectacular week. See you in Sarasota.

-Wes

I'm sitting at work with nothing to do so I figured this might kill 5 minutes.

Here's what's happening...
Next Saturday, March 25 we'll be headed down to Sarasota, FL for the first time. If you live in that area let us know. Chances are that we'll be spending the night down there after the show at The Clubhouse Tavern and need to know where to go to have a good time.

Attention Daytona friends and fans... We'll be headed back our your way on Friday, April 14th to play at the Coffee Connection for a show on the My Getaway/Sleepaway tour. Pathway to Providence will also be playing. You wanted us back, so we're coming back. Please don't miss out.

Attention Ocala friends and fans... we'll be back at the K&K Concert Hall on Saturday, April 22nd. Also appearing on stage will be Rosedale and Central vine, so it's almost the exact same show as last time, and that's fine with us. So, you know, come say hello and bring some friends (and Doug requests more edibles). We need all the support possible at this show. Mark it on the calendar. Tell a friend. Tell two friends. Bring your parents. Whatever you have to do, we just have to make this great.

More dates coming for April. Keep an eye on the old MySpace.

Speaking of MySpace, I used to think it was the most evil website ever created by man, but now I spend way too much time on it. From a band's perspective, it's probably the best internet resource ever created.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. I think that's all I need to say about that.

On Saturday I believe we're playing a party somewhere in in the vicinity of Edgewater, FL. We'll see how that goes.

Last night Doug and I hashed out the route for our summer tour and hunted down lots of cool venues. Come July, Southeast USA is in for a real treat. More on that as it develops.

Listen to Words Now Heard

Over and outsies.

-Wes

There's a reason that we always say Ocala rocks and last night was proof.
To any of you Ocala kids who may be reading this... You guys & gals are amazing. A big hug with words to everyone who came out to support us 8 months after our last show there. To everyone who brought us cookies, said nice things to us, clapped, sang along, and danced liked there was no tomorrow, we can't thank you enough.

We'll be back soon. No more long periods of waiting. We'll return and have another amazing time. Hit up the Slocala boards and request us back. That'll help us tons. Tell your friends, send them links, wear those shirts. We're basically planning to just take over your town. But that's okay, right?

The 'Sarcasm' CD's sold in large quantities last night so we hope to see even more people the next time around. If anyone has pics or video from the show, send them our way. That's one show we want to keep in our memories for years to come.

Kudos to the other bands who played as well. Good show all around.

Despite the bad traffic and getting lost on the way to the venue it was the most fun I've had at a show in a long time.

Special thanks to the Wendy's crew. You know who you are.

-Wes

Hey peeps.

Remember when I used to write in this all the time? Yeah. I got busy. Oops.
I actually just wanted to talk a little about the show we played this past Satruday at the Island Oasis in Winter Park. First off, it was our first time playing that venue, and I actually kind of like it. For whatever reason, I always enjoy playing in dive bars. This was a dive.
Once in a blue moon we play shows where all of the bands are amazing. This was one of those shows. I definitely would've liked to have seen more familiar faces, but the small group we had was quite supportive. We kicked off the night after waiting and waiting for the sound guy whose car broke down on the way to the venue. After us, The Starrs took the stage and sounded amazing. Bert picked up a copy of their CD "Silhouette" and I've really been enjoying it. Up second were The 1985 Bears who were also fantastic. Closing out the show was Orlando's own Words Now Heard. WNH is a one man show featuring the talents of Chris Martin who was a very energetic and outgoing guy. He's a lot of fun.
When it was his turn to take the stage he got up there with an acoustic guitar and I was holding my breath hoping not to hear another Dashboard knockoff. However, even though he played everything acoustic, he put on a great show. The man has an amazing stage presence and even though he was the only one on stage, it felt like I was watching a full band show.
I'm really hoping we get a chance to share the stage with him again in the near future. If he plays near you, please go see him. I picked up a copy of his new CD called "Loud and Clear". Highly recommended.

We met so many people that night, and all of them were super nice. We've played with local bands that were complete ego maniacs, but we've always had pretty good luck when it comes to playing with touring bands that have an overall great attitude.

Ocala this weekend. Playing K&K. I'm really looking forward to this one.
Our Tampa show got cancelled.
My car needs an oil change.
Currently enduring a headache.

Apologies, awkwardness, and taking a stand have been the themes for the week.

Listen to that one band I talked about that one time.

-Wes

Hey all, just writing to let you know of a couple cool shows coming up.
Saves the Day at the Social March 23rd
Alkaline Trio at House of Blues April 9th.


Just kidding. Actually we're playing with some cool bands this coming Saturday March 4th at Island Oasis here in Orlando. Joining us will be Words Now Heard (who I think is the only artist to have played with EVERYONE), and a couple cool bands from the great white north The Starrs and the 1985 Bears (guess where they are from). So if you aren't doing anything on Saturday at 5pm come check us out for a drunken sex fest. Actually it will be a good, clean night of wholesome All Ages type entertainment, but since it's an early show you'll still have time for your drunken sex fests. So come get the best of both worlds Saturday night and hear some great music in the process.

The jury has come in on the Rhett Miller album "The Believer" and the verdict is it's at least half awesome (10 points to anyone who knows the band I referenced there).

Doug

Dear Port Orange,
Thanks for being a ton of fun and for not raining on us.
We hope to see you again next year.

To everyone who talked to, hung out with, or photographed us on Saturday.... THANK YOU! Hopefully you'll all enjoy those shirts, and I apologize once again that some idiot left all the CDs in Orlando.

We had a blast. It was a great way to end our weekend. We couldn't have asked for more. Well, we could have, but we didn't want to be diva's.

I always thought that one day people would throw things at me while I'm singing, but I never thought it would come from my own bandmates.

The jury is still out on new Rhett Miller CD.

Winter Park this weekend. All Ages. Good times.

-Wes

I'm so behind on this thing. It's ridiculous. As usual.

As I'm typing this, I'm listening to Rhett Miller's new album called "The Believer" which is the follow up to his first solo CD called "The Instigator."
You can listen to it too at www.myspace.com/rhettmiller. It's the perfect background music for reading this posting. Rhett also sings for a little band called the Old 97's. I was hoping my pre-order of the album would get here before the weekend, but I'm looking forward to having the physical copy in my mailbox on Monday.

A quick rundown of the shows we've played so far: They've been crazy. The good, the bad, the ugly... it's all been there.
Thursday night we played Will's Pub in Orlando with Chris Metz, Time & Distance, and Big City Dreams. We were expecting to play second in an opening slot, however we ended up playing last. We played for our fans and the bands, really. I don't know why people didn't stick around. It was barely 10pm when we played. Regardless, it was almost like a little private show.
Dave from the band formerly known as Hawkeye graced us with his presence. Hadn't seen that character in ages. During the downtime we played one handed Fooseball where you have to be holding a beer in one hand at all times.
After the show the touring bands took off, and the few remaining people in the venue just sat around shooting the breeze. Good times.

Last night we were scheduled to play at Apopka High School. Upon arrival we were told we were next so we just loaded right onto the stage, set up as fast as humanly possible. As usual, we had planned to open with one of the Moog-powered songs. On my attempt to tune the beast to prepare for the song, I was getting no sound whatsoever. I immediately started panicking, but since we were so pressed for time we just played 5 or 6 of our straight ahead rock songs. The audience was good, they seemed to enjoy it. We were playing in a "Cafetorium" so there was crazy reverb everywhere. I could hear my voice bouncing off the walls. It made it sound like the audience was singing along. Were they? Nope.
Big thanks to all the kids who bought CDs. I always feel awkward when people ask us to sign them because I feel like I'm defacing our own disc. We did sign a napkin though. That was a first. Me and my awesome 3 letter autograph.

The rest of the band should be here soon and we'll be on our way out to Port Orange for Spring Music Fest 2006, of which we are a part. I believe we're playing around 3:45... third band to play. This should be a fun one since we have to fill about 45 minutes. We'll be playing almost our entire catalog. We also have a few people making the drive from surrounding towns to see us. I think that's amazing.

This is our third day playing in a row, so this has to be the good show, right?
The Moog has been coaxed back to life, the guitar strings have been changed, and I'm ready to hit the road.

Have a great Saturday.

-Wes

Oh...uh... This past Saturday we played at The Haven in Winter Park.
The set went by so quickly that I don't remember most of it. I played sloppily. Sorry. We saw a lot of familiar faces and I hope I didn't molest anyone while I was wandering around the room during 'Window.'

This week we have 3 shows in a row in Orlando, Apopka, and Port orange. Rockin. Our calendar for March is filling up nicely. We have our local Orlando gig scheduled for March 4th at the Island Oasis venue. We've never played there before, but it's becoming more and more popular, so we thought we'd check it out. Looking forward to playing somewhere new.
We'll also be revisiting Ocala, taking our first trip down to Sarasota, and hopefully returning to Tampa to see some old friends and make new ones.
It's gonna be a busy month, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Uh, yeah. Fun times ahead. This week is dragging. I have the urge to get back on stage to sing off key and play the moog and guitar like I'm blind. I might not be a great musician, but it's gotta be fun to watch me bumble around on stage.

Seriously though... this Thursday. Will's Pub. All Ages. 6pm. $6. BE THERE. There are 4 amazing bands on this lineup (us included, of course) and I haven't been this excited about a lineup in a loooong time.

Enough begging. You'll be there. Or you won't. Whatever.

I think I'm going to go take care of a sick girl. Cross your fingers that I don't get ebola.

-Wes

I was going to utilize this postas a public apology to my bandmates for not joining them on this fine Friday evening for fun, videogames, and random shenanigans, but I've decided not to.

We have a show tomorrow. We will all be in the same room playing the same songs, and having a blast. It's all about the balance.

I'm putting myself on a strict diet of good old fashioned Powerpop music in an attempt to centralize myself so that I can complete the writing of our follow up to "Sarcasm". As it stands right now, we have seven songs that are always being rotated within our live show to fill the gaps that the EP songs don't fill. Doug and myself have been talking a lot about recording lately. It's something we love to do and are eager to get back into that creative mindset. We aren't sure if our next release will be a full length or another EP, but we've been exploring a lot of options as to what we would record, where we would record it, and who might be at the helm of the project. It's definitely brought up a lot of interesting discussion, and I wish I had more to share, but unfortunately, I don't have all the answers right now. Balance.

We have a lot of other things we need to think about before the studio, such as shows... figuring out which towns we want to target, which venues, and when. It's getting to the point where we know which Central Florida towns will give us the best response. We want to explore new towns just as much as we want to visit places that we enjoy playing. Balance.

We're still planning a tour for July and assuming that it happens and goes according to plan, assuming that we survive such a feat, it will tell us a lot about where we're going as a band. Balance.

I've had a lot of time to think lately, but at the same time, I've been running around like crazy, working, writing, reading, and diving my time between all of the people in my life that I care about. For once, things are going well and it's usually right about now that something pops up and upends my world. I'm hoping that karma can just take a vacation and leave me alone. Balance.

But let's take baby steps here... It's Friday. Fridays are the best.
Enjoy it. Live it up. Go get a little crazy. Do something you've never done before even if you think you'll hate it. It might surprise you.

Everyone have a safe night, and if you're local, come say hello tomorrow at The Haven Lounge (9pm, $5, 18+).

-aWESome

Ok so it has been way too long since anyone but Wes has posted on here so I'm pretty sure it's my turn. Today was Valentines Day....why. Who's idea was this. It's just a reason for girls to get mad at guys because we didn't get them flowers, jewlery and candy. Am I jealous because I don't have a girlfriend, no. Infact I would be more upset if I did because I would have to spend money on her.

Moving on, we have so many shows coming up that by the last one this month my arms might actually fall off, or at the very least my shirt. This Saturday we are playing at The Haven. Then next week we have 3 shows, 3 days in a row and all 3 are all ages, how cool is that?

One last thing, Wes forgot to mention that time we were in the recording studio and Doug decided he should fart as loud as possible. Actually that has happened a lot of times, but just ask Doug about that, I'm pretty sure he has his own list.

-bert

Do something nice tomorrow for Valentine's Day.
Stop calling Wednesday's "Hump Day."
Find something to do on Thursday evening.
Don't party too hard on Friday.
Come see ENY at The Haven on Saturday.
Relax on Sunday.

Did Dick Cheney seriously shoot a guy?

I've got nothing.

-Wes

What is up with MySpace lately? We've been lucky to break 10 plays a day this week. We were doing so well for a while. Is everyone too busy listening to Panic at the Disco? Where's the loyalty?
You can't get tired of us before you see what we're capable of.
I knew I should've written music that was even more generic and boring.

I heard a new Hawthorne Heights song on the radio last night. I wasn't aware that they even had more than one song, let alone multiple albums. It sounded just like the last single.
Why do bands think that every song needs a screamy part?

Next week I'm going to lock myself in a closet and just listen to 80's new wave tunes. Maybe some early 90's rock. Basically, any genre of recorded music that doesn't make me want to set myself on fire.

I hope that one day, one of our tunes will be the "Prom Song" for that year. You know, one of those obnoxious tunes that plays at every high school dance and takes over the radio. I also want to die with no credibility.

The truth is, I have a moderate to strong dislike for the music industry.

I'm sarcastic.

It's been brought to my attention that the term "Gal Pal" as used a few entries ago, has been dubbed as "queer."

Big thanks to my gal pal for pointing that out.

Oops.

WES

I'm systematically becoming worse and worse at updating this thing. A lot of our friends and family read it to stay updated on the progress of the band, and I really like that. I hate hate hate repeating myself (wow, there's hypocrisy for you), so if everyone can just take two minutes and read this, it saves me a lot of time and keeps my jaw untired. Sometimes I feel bad because everyone has to hear about our adventures from just my perspective. I feel that you tend to miss out on a lot of things. For instance, whenever I tell stories about our shows, nine times out of ten it's me telling stories about the other band members.

I'll be honest, I don't usually like talking about myself. I tend to be a pretty funny guy and yet, as soon as someone starts a video camera rolling, or someone talks to me at a show, the pressure is on and I become a boring pile of skin and bones. My apologies for that.
I think I have that disorder where you're afraid of people. I don't remember what it's called off the top of my head, and I don't feel like looking it up. It's hilarious to me that I don't like being in or around large groups of people, and yet I decided to make being in a band my goal in life. Sometimes I don't quite think things through.

If I go to a show and there's a lot of people there, you'll find me in the back hanging out at the bar with the soccer moms who brought their kids to the show.
Moral of the story? If you talk to me before or after we play a show, rest assured that I'm really nervous and may not understand why you want to talk to me. After we play, I don't always feel impressive. If I'm sweaty, I don't look impressive, and you can pretty much bet I don't smell impressive either. Just approach me slowly. Pretend I'm a wild animal. Okay, not in that way.
Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm a jerk because I don't like to stand around and chit chat for hours after we play. I'm not that guy. It's not that I don't like you, just know that I'm either trying to load out, sell merch, or looking frantically around the room for someone I know. In fact, just wait until I have two drinks in me before you even attempt conversation. I get really loud after a few, and at that point, I'll talk to you until you're blue in the face or dead.

I'm a shy person. When I'm on stage, I'm not always me. I don't know who I am, but it's not me. Stage-me talks too much and says things he can only get away with while on stage with a band. Normal-me makes the same bad jokes over and over and is generally uninteresting. Don't confuse the two.
See, even now. I don't know what to say about me. I'm squirming in my chair.

This is going nowhere.

Listen to Inkwell.

-Wes

We play shows. We've played quite a few of them in the past couple years. We're over the 50 mark now, heading for 100. I've gotta say, that's pretty impressive. A lot of bands nowadays never get out of the garage. We've not done bad for a band that formed in just a couple days and I never expected to play any songs I've written in front of anyone, let alone to a couple hundred kids at our show with Gym Class Heroes. We've released a CD on our own and played all over Central Florida. We're not stopping any time soon and our trying to organize a summer tour along with many shows in many towns.

Whenever we do play shows and we talk to the other bands, one of the things we do is share road stories as it were about crazy things we've seen happen. Since I'm such a huge fans of lists, I'm going to do some top 5's about things band related. This could suck or be boring to read. Just warning you now.

TOP 5 CRAZY ON-STAGE ENY MOMENTS:
1. July 27, 2004 @ Calico Jack's - The singer in the band before us (who were buddies of ours) was going crazy and jumping on things while they played. He was walking across barstools and crashed, slicing open his toe and bleeding everywhere. He then tried to walk up the stairs to the stage and fell over. During our set, I mocked him while singing Window and jumped on stuff. When I tried to mock him falling up the stairs, I tripped over the mic cable and took my own spill.

2. October 22nd, 2005 @ Duke's Orlando - For whatever reason, Doug and I got really drunk before we played. There weren't many people at the show, so we got kinda weird. Bert had taken off his shirt earlier in the set, as he normally does. People in the crowd were yelling at Doug to take his off. I told him I wouldn't play the next song unless he did. He lost the shirt, and his pride.

3. August 10th, 2005 @ O-Zone CD's - For a while I went through a phase where I liked climbing up onto amplifiers during certain parts in songs. Sometimes I climbed onto mine, other times JoAnna's. At this show, during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' I climbed onto mine, totally forgetting that it was missing one of it's rubber feet. The amp started swaying and gyrating under my feet. Luckily I jumped off before I crashed down onto it. That would have been a mess.

4. November 18th, 2005 @ Univ. of Central Florida - This was the big show we played with Gym Class Heroes. This crazy moment happened during the breakdown of 'Girl Like Her' (where apparently most of our crazy moments happen) and I swung my guitar around me like you see the cool hardcore bands do, and I guess JoAnna was standing a little too close and the headstock of my guitar smashed into her playing hand, slicing it open. It was black and blue for a week after that. She never lets me live it down.

5. January 20, 2006 @ Duke's Orlando - Girl Like Her breakdown. JoAnna rocks out too hard. Runs off Stage. Pukes.

TOP 5 WORST ENY SHOWS:
1. October 12th, 2003 @ Stardust Coffee - Our first show ever. The place was packed for the last band and we blew it in front of a lot of people. We sucked bad. Bert, Doug, and myself all had songs so I don't think the audience ever knew who the singer was. The stage was too small and we had a really crappy amp setup. We don't talk about it anymore.

2. December 11, 2004 @ Sims Park - We were invited to play an annual festival held at Sims Park in New Port Richey. It was one of our first out of town shows so we were really excited. We ended up having to play at 10am to about five people after a two hour drive.

3. August 27th, 2005 @ Central Station - We played with our buddies Holidaysburg at a bar in downtown Orlando. They played and then we played. The promoter said we had to play another 30 minute set in order to get paid. I retook the stage being extremely drunk and we ended up playing a few new songs that bombed so we just proceeded to reprise half of our earlier set. I'll admit, it wasn't a terrible show, probably quite amusing if you were there, but that in combination with the fact that it took us two hours to get back to the venue to load makes it a show that still frustrates me to this day.

4. April 21st, 2005 @ The Club at Firestone - This was a second round for a battle of the bands. We had won the first round, but the event was held in a huge venue, and tickets were going for $12 a head. There were maybe 20 people in the entire venue. Due to a band showing up late for soundcheck, we got our 30 minute set cut down to 15 minutes with no advance warning. I think we only got to play four songs.

5. February 4th, 2005 @ Debbie's Bar - We played an acoustic show at a dive bar due to some drummer issues we'd been having. Quite a few friends show up to see us, but the bartender started kicking out everyone under 21 (we were told the show was 18+) after our 3rd song. After playing two more tunes we got fed up, packed it in, and walked out.

Honorable Mention: The Memorial Day Skatepark show where JoAnna fell deathly ill the night before.

MY TOP 5 BANDS ENY HAS PLAYED SHOWS WITH:
These are my favorite bands that we've played with to date. Listen to them all.

1. The Progress - From Cherry Hill, NJ. Played with them twice on separate tours they did. Awesome live band, the nicest of guys.
www.myspace.com/theprogress

2. Holidaysburg - From Orlando, FL. We've played with these boys plenty of times. My personal favorite local band. Not only do they put on an amazing live show full of energy, but they play some good alt-country tunes. Oh, and a ton of fun to drink with.
www.myspace.com/holidaysburg

3. Select Start - From Tampa, FL. Played with these fellas once in Orlando and once down in their hometown. Great shows both times. They're about the closest thing to our band that I've seen in a while and they have some amazing songs. They should have a CD coming out this year.
www.myspace.com/selectstart

4. Hey Nice Guy - From Ocala, FL. Doug and I actually drove 2 hours to Ocala to see these guys play based off of a demo we picked up at a show. I believe they're currently on a hiatus, but we've seen them play a bunch of times, and actually got to share the stage with them in Ocala last year.
www.myspace.com/heyniceguy

5. Fellsmere - From Orlando, FL. We've played a whole lot of shows with these guys. We both kind of came onto the scene around the same time, so we shared a lot of friends and stages as we all tried to make names for ourselves. They even released a CD right around the same time we did, so I feel like we've seen them grow as a band. Every show we play with them gets better and the crowds get bigger.
www.myspace.com/fellsmere

TOP 5 FUNNIEST BAND MEMBER MOMENTS:
Sometimes we do really funny things without meaning to, and those moments go down in infamy.

1. Upon taking a break from one of our weekend rehearsals, Doug and I go to step outside for some fresh air, and Doug walks face first into a glass sliding door he thought was open. He even leaves a faceprint.

2. During a recording session we all met up in the parking lot. JoAnna was the last one to arrive so Bert was standing in the last available parking spot he was saving for her. A car comes out of nowhere and tries to pull in where Bert is standing. Driver asks him to move, Bert replies "I'm holding this spot for the person behind you."

3. Doug getting really drunk at a studio session one night, ranting and raving into our video camera. He was really angry that Bert wasn't at the session since it was a band function and everyone should be present. He went on and on, making very valid points, but in the end, not really making a valid argument.

4. On day during practice JoAnna and Bert suited up in inflateable boxing gloves and helmets and proceeded to do what you always do when you just need to hit something... attack Doug.

5. During another recording session, JoAnna became obsessed with a broken drumstick she found and spent the rest of the night hitting band members with it at every opportunity. I don't think anyone made it out of that situation bruise-free.

And lastly, these are a few awards I'd like to give out based on our past shows:

The "I Just Don't Get It" award goes to: Speaking Of...
Orlando noise rock. I just didn't get it. I've never seen a stage so full of keyboards, noise boxes, and out of tune voices. I spent the whole performance wondering if they came to the show with only the bare neccessities.

The "Waaaaaaahmbulance" Award goes to: Doug McPherson
This award is bestowed upon the biggest whiner. Doug, the guitarist for Early Next Year set a new record for number of times he had the Waaaaahmbulance called on him at one show for incessant whining.

The "Please Never Play With Us Again" award goes to: Boxelder
I wanted you guys to win the "I don't get it award" but don't since you didn't I made up a new category. I'm not saying you guys weren't good... but your set was a little bit lengthy. Just a tad. In fact, during your set I zoned out at least seven times and that was while standing beside a speaker. I don't know if you noticed, but by your 50th song, people in the audience were sitting on the ground talking on their cell phones. You lost everyone. And then there were bongos!? What....? I guess it's just way over my head. Sorry. You do your thing. You might spend a little more time in the future catering to your target demographic. You know... Hippies, for instance.

The "If I See It Again, I'm Going to go Nuts" Award goes to: The Day hummer.
A bright yellow tank of a car with a picture of a 16 year old's face on the back window? Dear owner of said vehicle, you should have just put all of your money into a big garbage bag and then lit it on fire. I'm not saying the band is bad, it's just that I wouldn't ride anywhere in that mechanical eyesore. I'm sorry that you have to.

and finally, the "Best Irish Pub" award goes to: Ybor City.
We went down to the Tampa area to play with our pals Select Start and Half-Way Hero. This town was great and our neverending goal to find the best Irish Pub in everytown we play in did not miss a beat. Up some stairs off of main street we found a little hole in the wall place that had some great music, great atmosphere, and some strong beer. In fact, Doug and I really want to play in Ybor again simply to return to this bar. Another show there would just be icing on the cake.

This basically took me a whole afternoon to write. Wow, I wasted a LOT of time.
I hope you were there for some of these events, and if not, hang around us more. The weirdest crap happens all the time.

In a few months, I'll probably have enough stories to do another one of these monsters.

-Wes

Happy February. I know I'm a day early, but who cares.

I just wanted to waste a few minutes of everyones time and let you know which albums are currently holding my iPod hostage.
1. Action Action - An Army of Shapes Between Wars
2. Inkwell - Chaos Reveals Rhyme
3. Gym Class Heroes - The Papercut Chronicles
4. Piebald - All Ears, All Eyes, All The Time

Listen to them.

I love that I can say anything I want in this blog. Half the time, my posts don't even have any point. They're just mass chaos and redundancy sugarcoated with funny anecdotes and shots at my friends.

Pay your rent.

-Wes

Our show last night at The Haven was everything I could've hoped for and more. We started off the night very strongly and I think we played a great show. Everyone said we had really good energy, so big thanks to the audience. We feed off of you. We're like energy leeches. But we don't suck the energy out of you, so it's more of a symbiotic relationship. We saw a lot of familiar faces and didn't see some we expected. Can't win them all I guess. If you didn't come to the show, you seriously missed out.

Aside from my main guitar not wanting to work AT ALL, I don't think we had any technical shenanigans happening. There was a hole in the stage that I kept stepping in. Oh, and my glasses were completely covered in sweat. But those two minor inconveniences didn't hamper anything. If you were there... how freaking cool was the beginning of our set? I mean honestly, you just don't see showmanship like that nowadays.

We had planned for a 30 minute set, but when they told us we were slated to jam for 40 mins, we got to put in all the songs we felt bad about cutting out. We played six songs off the record and added four of our newer tunes into the mix. I had a blast.

The band after us took close to an hour to set up. That was a long time. Sorry if my leaving early offended anyone, there were people I needed to visit with in a quieter location. I won't do that at the next show, I promise.
Before the gig we were all hanging out at my apartment and I was writing Camp Counselor type songs. Things they would sing to kids around a fire, but mine had that really creepy edge. That sort of "Hey, if a kid sings this, he's never going to notice the innuendo" stuff. We're gonna release an album of those songs someday. It will tank. Hard.

If you've visited our MySpace or PureVolume pages lately, you'll notice that we have a show date in March up in Ocala, Florida. Finally, right? It only took eight months to hook something up. So yeah, Ocala peeps... we're coming back, and if you're not there, the trip will be in vain. March 11th at K&K Concert Hall. All ages to boot.
I hope the kids in that town are still nice. We have fond memories that don't need to be shattered.

My downstairs neighbor is being so loud. He has a massive television and leaves his door open while he watches movies filled with explosions. My floor is shaking. Ridiculous.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I went to an Irish Pub on Friday with my gal pal. They had one of those crazy loud TouchTunes jukeboxes (with a speaker RIGHT beside our table). We put in our cash because we were itching for some 80's music. She was in a Depeche Mode kind of mood, and I'd had enough to drink that A-Ha's "Take On Me" seemed like a wise decision. We sat for ages waiting to hear our tunes. Nope, never happened. So to whoever in the bar queued up 800 songs... screw you. Granted, you chose a few good songs here and there, but half of your music selections weren't even worthy of being yelled over. We left without hearing our songs, so hopefully the last callers were dancing to A-Ha while I was passing out.
Oh, and oddly enough, I got recognized in the bar. I didn't think enough people even knew about our band to be recognized for it. That's only happened to me twice and always makes me feel awkward because I don't know what to say.
"Yes, I'm in Early Next Year. Nice to meet you. Uh....hmm... have you tried the wings here? I've heard they're to die for."
So awkward.
I don't want to talk about me. Sorry.

Now I'm bored. I'm sore from jumping around the stage last night like a possessed monkey.

This entry goes out to all my dead homies.

That was weird.

-Wes

Since we are on the topic of new music here at the E.N.Y. Journal I felt the need to throw in my two cents on a couple of new records.

The official Doug McPherson seal of approval goes to....

Portugal. The Man - Waiter: "You Vultures"

and....

Rocky Votolato - Makers

Listen to the former if you want to hear something unlike anything else out there right now. More specifically really technical indie rock. The music on the album wouldn't sound out of place on a Blood Brothers album except there is singing instead of screaming. Listen to the latter for an amazing acoustic singer songwriter. This record really breathes new life into what was becoming a stale genre rife with Dashboard Confessional and Bright Eyes imitators.
Check them both out!

Doug

Alright, so who picked up the new Action Action CD, An Army of Shapes Between Wars?
It was released today. Get Big on it.

I just finished my second listen. Talk about complete randomness and chaos. I like it. A lot. This takes what was awesome about their first disc Don't Cut Your Fabric to This Year's Fashion and kicks it up a notch. Granted, it's not all that different. The band says that this release is "the other 90% of the iceberg that the first album didn't show."
I couldn't agree more. The songs seem quite lengthy, when really, most of the tunes hit around 3-4 minutes with another minute of random music bed thrown in before or after a track. Those little additions definitely give the album some character and don't last long enough to get old or monotonous. Each song goes in it's own direction and I don't feel like I ever heard the same song twice while listening to it. Their use of synths, electronic toys, and guitars blends together seamlessly. Can they pull it off live? Who knows. I've missed them everytime they've come through Orlando, but I hope to catch them the next time around.
There's a few moments on this CD that literally gave me chills the first time I heard it. Parts in songs that made me so incredibly jealous that I didn't think of it first. I could never write music like they do. It baffles me how they even pull cohesive songs together. Like many of my favorite bands and artists, they're not someone I would ever try to emulate, so I just pop in the CD, sit back, and appreciate what they've created knowing that it's way over my head.

Bottom line, if you enjoyed their first CD, then you'll definitely dig this one as well, but don't expect to see many shades of The Reunion Show in here. Those days seem to be dead and gone.

Standout tracks include: "Smoke and Mirrors," "A Tornado; An Owl," & "The Game."

4 stars out of 5.

I can now cross this off my "Most Anticipated CD's of 2006" list.
Next up: Rhett Miller - The Believer

-Wes

Ah, the show at Duke's last night. Yeah.
Good times overall. The four of us plus Doug's wife spent the first half the evening poorly playing pool. We bought an hours worth of table time and were bent on getting though as many games as humanly possible. We were playing doubles, but I don't remember if I was ever on a winning team. Half the time I didn't know if I was shooting for stripes or solids. Yeah, I'm terrible at pool and it was my idea to play. Didn't think that one through too well.

There was a band up from Tampa who opened the show and were pretty good. They had a female singer which is always a lot of fun for a rock band. 'Sidekick's Downfall' played second, which is a local screamo act. Their bass player popped one of his strings near the beginning of his set. Up third was 'In Regards To...' who were definitely my favorite band of the evening. Good energy, and catchy songs. The guitar player blew a tube on his amp midway through the set, so we should have seen the omens that nothing was going to run smoothly.
There was actually a healthy crowd at the venue and we didn't do a whole lot of promotion due to our show next Saturday, so as we took the stage last we played for a handful of folks who stuck around and I think they enjoyed it. We got some dancers and some clappers and kept the songs fast and catchy. We had to drop three songs off the setlist due to time constraints, but we still played everything we really wanted to and even debuted our newest song 'Lifeless' for the first time. I think that one went over very well. People clapped through almost the entire song so we had some really good energy to feed off of. While we were soundchecking, Mr. Sound Man was surprised we only needed two vocal microphones. He asked if JoAnna was our "screamer." Hah. Gotta love those witty sound guys. I guess we were the only band without one though.
Then we ran into a few technical issues. On the second to last song, Doug somehow managed to lose all of his sound effects from his pedal and was left with nothing but what came stock on the electronic little devil. We adapted, and as we closed out the night with 'Girl Like Her' I realized during the bridge that JoAnna was nowhere to be found on stage. Turns out she was rocking too hard, so she threw down her bass and ran back to the green room to puke. Once the song was over we all ran offstage to make sure she was alright. She was laughing about it. Only JoAnna. Next time you see her, give her a hard time about it.

Despite all that, we had a great time, met some new people, and hopefully will be seeing some familiar faces next Saturday at The Haven. Thanks to those who grabbed a copy of our CD, we always appreciate the support and the kind words.

I always feel like we're going to be out of place on shows, but I love it when the audience is receptive, or at least takes the time to listen to a song or two before leaving. We've been playing last on the bills a lot lately for reasons unknown, but on the 28th we're actually opening the show, so come out at 9pm, hear us jam, and then toss back a few drinks with us and enjoy the rest of your evening.

-Wes

Since there has been some confusion regarding our show this Friday at Duke's Orlando, here is the final word: Admission is 21+ and a $5 cover. We apologize for this. When we booked the show, the venue was allowed to host 18+ shows but that's no longer the case.

We'd still love to see you soon though, and on Saturday, January 28th, we're playing an 18+ show at the Haven in Winter Park, and then in February we're part of a great all ages show at Will's Pub in Orlando (23rd) and the all ages Spring Music Fest in Port Orange, FL (Feb 25th). And oh, what's this... we have 2 additional all ages shows in the works for February. Things are looking up, eh? Do us a favor and actually show up to these and we can do many more in the future.
You've asked and asked for all ages shows, so here they are!

Why is it so cold? I thought that was a thing of the past.

This week has been long and tedious. I'm looking forward to the weekend, a good show, good beer, and good company.

Album Recommendation of the Week:
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start - The Internet EP

Hey, look at this... FREE MUSIC!
Up Up Down Down is kind of a wacky band made up of a bunch of people from other bands. How do we know them? Well, I could do one of those "Seven Degrees" games but I'll skip that and cut to the chase. Our pal Evan, the bass player from New Jersey's The Progress is their guitar player. Confused? Keep reading. We've opened some shows for The Progress on two of their tours through Florida and last time when we were all hanging out after the show he got to talking about an internet EP they had just finished and released via their website.
I highly suggest downloading the songs and creating a playlist for it. Then put it on repeat. The songs are rather short, but there's a great indie pop feel. Think of it this way... Up Up Down Down is like Death Cabs cousin who rocks a little harder. That's the best way I can describe it.
They recently released another internet EP called "Girls Names" but do yourself a favor and download the "Internet EP" first.

Let me know what you think. Let them know what you think.

As with all music... if it sounds good and makes you happy, then by all means, listen to it.

-Wes

Hi there. How are you? I'm great. Read this.

I think we can officially say that we, Early Next Year, have been featured in our first Podcast to date. The Rock Show on The Podcast Network aired our song "East Coast" for Podcast #41: The Mellow Death. You can download it via that website or on iTunes. Our section of the broadcast begins about 14 minutes in. The host says a few things about us, the song plays, he says a bit more and the next band comes on. Give the entire podcast a listen as he features some other great unsigned talent.
Thanks to Mr. Ewan Spence for featuring us on his station.

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was long. Good talk.

-Wes

It's Friday. Go out and do something. I'm even going to take my own advice for a change. Beer and loud music, here I come.

Work on Sunday morning. Goodbye Saturday night.

Is anyone else looking forward to Rhett Miller's new CD, The Believer, as much as I am? 2/28/06.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Ain't that the truth.

What a crazy, crazy week. Sleep's never sounded better, but there's still so much to do and the rain has to quit eventually.

Persevere.

-Wes

Apparently there is some sort of plot afoot where an evil genius is reuniting bands who have been a big influence on our music. First, it was The Rentals. Now? Ozma. Yes sportsfans, that's correct... Ozma has reunited with a new drummer and will be recording a new album and hopefully doing some touring as well.

Here's a great little anecdote for you...

Back in the day when Doug and I first got the whole ENY thing rolling, we were listening to the (best) Ozma record, Rock and Roll: Part 3 and noticed that the beginning of their song "Shooting Stars" and one of ours shared the exact same guitar intro. Scandal! Did we rip them off? Nope, not on purpose. Great minds... and all that. Needless to say, we don't play the song anymore. So don't try to sue us, Ozma.

I think Weezer should go on tour with Ozma and The Rentals. If I had to, I would sell both of my kidneys to see that show.

Alright then, cosmic gods of band reunition... resurrect for me: The Anniversary. Go listen to their classic disc "Designing a Nervous Breakdown" and you'll see it's bands like them and The Rentals who paved the way for that Motion City Soundtrack band everyone loves so much. Give the credit where due!

Oh, and could we go ahead and resurrect The Kickovers? Yeah. I mean, why not?

-Wes

In the past, when seeing bands live, I've always been frustrated if they didn't play the songs I was there to hear and instead played new material that I didn't even know. After some careful consideration in the past five minutes, I've come to the conclusion that I totally understand why. When you're in a band, you like to keep things fresh and exciting, especially when you've been playing the same songs night after night, show after show for the last two years.

We're as guilty of this as anyone. On any given night, we play a set consisting of about eight or nine songs. Since we only have seven songs on our EP, and only six of those really get played on any given night, we tend to mix in some newer tunes. And by newer, I mean songs that have been around for ages but we didn't have the time or budget to fit on our CD. That thing could have been a full length release if we'd had another month to work on it. Some of these "newer" songs such as Send A Letter, Extra Twenty, and They Always Say have become show staples, but sometimes we forget about the tunes we've been playing for a while. We tend to make our setlists about five minutes before we go on stage, so sometimes we accidently neglect some of the tunes. Some nights it's really hit or miss if we'll play something like Window, or substitute something more upbeat and catchy.

Tonight at practice we decided to play through two newer songs since we'd been too busy with shows and holidays to rehearse them. However, I think we completely knocked them out of the park and with another practice they should be ready for public consumption. So do we play these songs at upcoming shows, or do we stick with the stuff on our CD that people actually know?

I guess the main bullet point of this whole presentation is that if you know that you'll be at our show... tell us what we should play!
After all, we're doing these shows for the people who are there. If you want to hear a specific song, then just tell us! We'll be more than happy to oblige. It makes our lives that much easier.

Whenever I check our PureVolume or MySpace pages, I sometimes get heated if a certain song is getting more plays than another. As Doug reminds me on a daily basis... these songs don't belong to me anymore. Once they're on CD, it's out of my hands as far as which one is the "best"... the one song I love playing show after show could be the least favorite of all of our fans. It's weird to think about. I created the children, we've raised them as best we could, and now we've sent them off to school to fend for themselves hoping that they find someone to sit with at lunch, and that they won't get bullied by the big kid who already has secondary hair.

Profound, huh?

Oh hey, we're playing an all ages show at Will's Pub in Orlando come February with some great artists. Life just got way more exciting.

-Wes

It's Friday. I have nothing to do tonight. I'm now torn between a quiet night at home attempting to write music, or begging someone to go out to a bar with me.
I need someone to follow me around and make tough decisions for me. Wait... no... that's called living with your parents. I can do this. I can do this.

Today I asked Doug whether I was better described as "weird" or "quirky" (yes, this is what we do at work). He suggested that "quirky" was the better adjective to be associated with me. I quickly came to a realization that quirky is indeed better. Quirky people tend to be more likeable even though they take their oddness to the brink, almost to the point of no return, just to bring it back to keep their friends from leaving them stranded in abandoned parking lots.
Weird people pick their nose, smell funny, and eat glue.
Actually, I've done no scientific research on this, so I can't back anything up.

Wow, we're quite boring when we don't have shows to talk about.

Now remember, the new Action Action disc entiteld An Army Of Shapes Between Wars is out 1/24/06 on Victory Records. Do not forget to pick that up.
In fact, buy me a copy since I'm broke.

-Wes

Happy freaking birthday to our resident axe master, Doug McPherson. He turns 23 years old today but remains proof that just because you're older, it doesn't mean you're smarter.

Bring him a nice gift to our show at Duke's (in Orlando) on January 20th. He likes beer.

-wes

Hey guys, I usually don't post very often, but I thought this would be worth it.
Early Next Year is now on The Oink torrent site. If you've got an account you should check it out. Its freakin sweet.
http://Oink.me.uk is the site.
<3 JoAnna

Happy 2006!

Hope everyone had a blast last night and did something fun and memorable. I'm still in the recovery process, but overall it was a great night.

As my new year's gift to you, I spent the week before Christmas editing together a bunch of ENY video footage so I could show friends and family while I was in Ohio. However, I'm so pleased with how it came out, that I've uploaded it online and I'd love for you guys to check it out as well.

It's a bunch of footage we've accumlated over the past few months at shows, in the studio, and random craziness from our day to day lives set to our song Completely.

So check it out, enjoy it, and be sure to let us know what you think!

click here to view the ENY video montage!

-Wes

So now I sit just counting down the hours until my flight leaves tomorrow evening. It's been a great vacation in this frozen tundra, and I've had a complete blast, but I'm eager to get back to Orlando, the band, work, and civilization in general. I attended multiple holiday parties and drank many people's beer. I avoided large groups of unfamiliar faces by standing outside on porches. I had dental work done this morning and I cannot feel my nose, lips, or chin at present. My coffee is dribbling everywhere because of it.

We're having a good run with PureVolume. We're hearing lots of good feedback, and even some negative here and there, but you have to take it with a grain of salt I guess. I've had some great conversations with new fans on AIM and our MySpace friends list is continually growing.

It's becoming more and more apparent that January will be a rather slow month for us, and since we won't be out playing shows, I'm hoping we can dedicate the time to more practice since we have a slew of songs that need some work. The next thing we have scheduled as it stands is the Spring Music Fest in Port Orange where we'll be playing with a lot of great bands, a lot of whom we've shared the stage with before. We want to make sure that performance is not only tight, but highly entertaining. We know that we'll be seeing a handful of friendly faces there, so we want to make sure everyone who puts forth the effort to come see us will get their free admission's worth.

JoAnna never left Florida, Bert returned on Wednesday, I believe... and Doug... well who knows, really. We spoke on Tuesday, and he was so excited because he was finally getting to go to a bar. I think he'll be back in Orlando on Friday or Saturday.

Thankfully, since I return on a Friday, I have the weekend to recover from my vacation. That seems backwards. I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself. It will be fun to once again have privacy.

Only 29 more hours...

-Wes

Hah! Once again I have outsmarted the machines we call computers!
After a cold, snowy trip to town, I have returned with the almighty CD-R spindle which has allowed me to transfer necessary computer files. Now, head over to our purevolume page and check out new demos of Send a Letter and They Always Say!

Forget all that stuff I said earlier.

-W

Happy Holidays everyone!
I hope that everyone who celebrates the Christmas holiday had a good one. I know I did. Uncomfortable silences and alcohol. That's what it's all about.

So in more pleasant news, we'll be spending the next 7 days in a PurePromo spot on the front page of www.purevolume.com. It's a site for music. Maybe you've heard of it.

I know that in my last entry here I made promises about adding new demo tracks. Well, you see... there was this whole big.... thing... and the demos won't be added for a few more days. For some reason, the internet at my parents house doesn't like my Mac so it's not letting me connect via the Powerbook where all the songs are currently being stored. I'm blogging from their ancient Gateway computer which I remember being released right around the same time the dinosaurs became extinct.

However, until I can get those 2 new demos up on PureVolume there are 4 tracks from the EP and 2 home demos to keep your ENY hunger at bay.

I'm ready to leave Ohio and get back to Orlando, but I have several more days to kill until I'm on my plane home. Am I going to be one of those people who sits around on PureVolume constantly refreshing my own bands profile page? Probably.

IM me. I'm bored and cold.
I need someone to drive me home from the Orlando airport on Friday, December 30th. Any takers?

Thanks to anyone who heard us on purevolume, came to our real website, and is now reading this. Hope you dig what you heard. Tell a friend.

In other news, all that mixing and DVD editing stuff I needed to finish before leaving town was finished, and yesterday I got a lot of my hair cut off.
I know you care.

Season's Greetings!

-Wes

Hey folks just a quick update on what's happening...
I decided to wait until the last minute to get a bunch of stuff done and now I'm regretting it. We have something big happening the day after Christmas. I'm not ready to leak the details yet, but if you head to our PureVolume site on December 26th, you'll see exactly what's going on. You'll also get to hear two new demos that I'll be uploading. They aren't new songs, but a few months ago we hopped into the studio and recorded updated versions of some tunes. For the last three days I've been working on cleaning those up and making them sound good. Bert spent a while last night making the drums sound awesome. I'm also working on putting together a small ENY DVD to share with our friends and family over the holiday. I fly out to my parents house on Friday morning so I have about 48 hours to pack, mix, edit, and burn. All nighters, anyone?

Bert is on the same flight to Ohio that I am. If we end up sitting in the same vicinity, I feel bad for everyone else on the plane. Chances are that we'll get loud and obnoxious.

Album Recommendation of the Week:
Action Action - Don't Cut Your Fabic to This Year's Fashion
Listen to them on MySpace.

This album came out a little over a year ago, but has been in constant rotation in my CD player. Former members of The Reunion Show and Count the Stars came together and a made a band that was way better than either of their previous efforts. Dark lyrics, walls of synthesizers, and lack of song structure make for an awesome listening experience. This isn't a handful of songs thrown together, this is an album. Occasionally songs will stray from the original melody and go in a completely different, but awesome direction. Highly recommended. They have a new disc coming out in 2006. I can't wait.

In other words, it's still cold in central Florida. And by cold, I mean 50 degrees. Brrrrr.

Stay cool,

-Wes

Alright, we just finished our two days of shows in Orlando and Daytona Beach. Lots of fun at both stops. Here's all the good stuff you missed:

Thursday night at Back Booth in downtown in Orlando. We played with some great bands including Luxembourg, The West Fifties, and Jason Choi and the Sea. Upon arrival to the venue we noticed that our name was spelled wrong on the marquee. Apparently it's rather tough to spell 'early' and we ended up being advertised as "Eary Next Year." With video camera rolling I sent Doug, armed with a sharpie marker to fix it. Leave it to the kid with a Bachelor's Degree to still manage to put the L in the wrong place, making us "Ealry Next Year." In the end, crossing off the whole word and starting over proved a success.

Somehow we ended up headlining the show. We were a little nervous since we really aren't in any position to be headlining shows anywhere. The rest of the bands were fantastic, but not really on our page musically. Lots of pianos, beautiful chords, and staring at shoes. By the time we took the stage at midnight, the crowd had decreased by half but we eased them into our set by starting off with our most 'indie rock' songs. The tunes 'Extra Twenty' and 'They Always Say' were sent in first, and we followed that by melting their faces with 'Information'. A really great show regardless of all the worry that went into not fitting in. Kudos to the girl who was up in the balcony tearing it up with some awesome dance moves, and big thanks to everyone who picked up the CD or tossed some kind words our way.

Last night we returned to Daytona Beach for a show at the Seabreeze Coffee Connection. It was here that we learned that Doug is possibly the worst person in the world at parallel parking. He couldn't get himself into the spot right in front of the venue and after he pulled away to find a more convenient location, some lady in a car got out and told JoAnna and I, "Tell her she needs to go back to driving school!"
It was funny that she called Doug a 'her' since I do that all the time.
For some reason, the kids in Daytona would rather stand outside in the cold at shows than pay $5 to go inside where it's warm and where the music sounds good. So we played second after some band that just screamed and screamed for about 20 minutes. We had to load in the front door with 50 kids just standing around outside blocking us at every turn. Once we were set up and ready to roll we realized that there was only about 15 people actually inside the venue, while the rest hung around outside.
We played our 30 minutes and loaded everything out with kids still in our way.
Thanks to the one guy who apparently listened to our set and grabbed a copy of the disc.
We then proceeded to go to the same shady Burger King as we did on our last visit. This time we dragged Bert and JoAnna along for some fun. Have you seen those advertisements for those Chicken Fries? Don't get them. They are a waste of money and smell like burnt flesh. After hanging out for a few minutes in the parking lot, and getting my Dr. Pepper kicked all over me we headed back to Orlando.
On the way home, Doug and I listened to Piebald's "We Are the Only Friends We Have" a whopping 3 times in a row. I maintain that this CD was the best release of 2002. In fact, their 2004 release "All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time" is currently ruling my CD player at home. Check both of those out if you like good music.

Tonight we're having our first ENY christmas party in my craphole apartment. We're gonna set up a battle plan for 2006, then proceed to have a few drinks, play mindless video games, make terrible jokes, pick on Doug, and basically do anything except play music. It's gonna be a blast.

As far as shows go, we're done for the year but are still in the process of confirming dates for January and February. Watch the website or myspace for updates.

A week from today Bert and myself will be in Ohio, and Doug will be still be trying to drive there. Yes, that's right, three of our members are originally all from Ohio. Bert and I lived in neighboring towns, Doug lived 30 or so minutes away. We never knew each other until we all moved to Orlando. What are the odds right?
My parents house in Ohio is in the middle of nowhere, so there's a good chance that the majority of my 'vacation' will be spent blogging about how I wish I was still in Florida. Yeah, I'm a whiner.

All the best.

-Wes

IT'S FREAKING COLD!

-Wes

Thursday evening we made the trek out to Daytona Beach for a show at the Seabreeze Metal Lounge. It had been raining all day in Orlando so we hoped it would die down the closer we got to the coast. We were wrong. In fact, we drove through a torrential downpour to get into the coastal town. Once there we navigated the tricky one way street that is Seabreeze and found the venue.
The place had a cool vibe and looked very much like a basement in someone's home. One of the bands had dropped off the show the night before, so we rolled into town at 6pm and had some time to kill since we wouldn't be starting the show until 8:30. However, the rain prevented us from having any real fun and hampered our attempts to collect any video of the event. We walked down a dark street to a 7-Eleven to find a restroom and some entertainment. I don't trust 7-Eleven's that don't also have gas stations attached. I don't know why. We loitered for a bit and headed back out into the storm.
Upon re-arrival to the venue we found the door finally unlocked so we proceeded to load in. Bert drove the wrong way down the one way street and countless people came out of their businesses to yell at him. Funny stuff. We set up, soundchecked, and walked around the bar to read the walls which were full of band names and satanic verses. Amusing.
A small crowd started to gather, and two beers later it was time to play.

This was our 50th show ever but no one seemed to care all that much. The kids seemed to enjoy our set even though they were there for the second band. I did as much audience interaction as possible and they were quick to clap when asked and I shared some witty banter with a few random people.
Songs appearing in our set included Send a Letter, Through My Eyes, They Always Say, Extra Twenty, Completely, East Coast, Information, Never Saw it Coming, and Girl Like Her. A pretty average set for us.

After loading out, Doug and myself set off in search of food. Apparently everything in Daytona closes at 9pm so we had to drive to a Burger King down the street. That place was super shady. In the restroom there was about an inch of water on the floor, the urinal coughed when I flushed, and the faucet sprayed me in the face.

After that it was back to the venue to collect Bert and JoAnna and we were on our way back to Orlando. Since we're playing Daytona again next Friday at a venue right across the street from the Metal Lounge we're hoping to see some repeat faces.

On Thursday, December 15th we'll be playing our final Orlando show of the year downtown at Back Booth with some great bands that include Luxembourg, Jason Choi and the Sea, & The West Fifties.
I get this sinking feeling that with both of the shows we have coming up, our music may be a little out of place. Wait... isn't that every show?

Last night was the office Holiday Party. Good times there. Open bar, free food, and danceable music. Doug took his wife and I just wandered from crowd to crowd drinking and dancing like a white guy.

Work tomorrow morning at 7am. Can't I get a break?

Album Recommendation of the Week:
This Day & Age - Always Leave the Ground
www.purevolume.com/thisdayandage

This group is signed to the Orlando label One-Eleven Records. This label was quite small a few years ago when Doug and I first moved to Florida, but they've quickly recruited a roster of great bands including Rory, The Spill Canvas, Inkwell, and Rookie of the Year.
I was surfing PureVolume a couple days ago and ran across This Day & Age. The first thought I had when I heard them was that this is what The Format might sound like if they rocked a little harder. I grabbed the album and have been listening to it for the last few days straight. It gets my stamp of approval, as if that counts for anything.

-Wes

Hey folks, it's that time of the year where we take a second to stop thinking of ourselves and write down our Top 5 Favorite Records of 2005!

And remember, I said our FAVORITE albums, not the BEST albums of the year.

Bert's Top 5 favorite Records of 2005:

1. Project 86 - And the Rest Will Follow
2. System of a Down - Mezmorize
3. Kids in the Way - Apparitions of Melody
4. Kutless - Stong Tower
5. Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

So I know my list is not anywhere close the the same as everyone elses in the band, I even have 2 christian albums in there, but all of those are bands that ive been listening to since I got into music so I'm sticking to what I love and grew up with.
Project 86's new album is just very well put together, there is a lot of very creative recording and they havent changed a lot in their style. They havn't gone all techno like some of these more heavy metal bands.
System of a Down has always been amazing. Once again, they havn't changed much, they just stick to the basics and continue to rack out amazing, origanal face melting rock and roll.
Kids in the Way and Kutless are a couple of great christian bands that have just stormed their way into the christian market.
And the Foo Fighters, well thats really all I have to say, they rock.

Doug's Top 5:

1. Sherwood - Sing, But Keep Going
Wes actually turned me on to this band right
after this album came out and I became immediately
jealous that I didn't find them first. This album is
incredibly addictive with instantly memorable hooks
and layers of insightful lyrics about being a touring
musician and other topics. Not a single skippable
track on here. Sherwood is a band that if there was
an ounce of justice in the music business would be one
of the biggest in the world, but as it stands they are
forced to play crappy tours for months on end opening
for bands who aren't anywhere near as talented.
Cough*Daphne Loves Derby*Cough.

2. Alkaline Trio - Crimson
Alright here's my biased choice for the year, but
this year I think it's every bit deserving of a slot
on the list. In case the first sentence didn't give
it away, Alk3 has been one of my favorite bands for a
few years now, and on this release they've completely
taken it to another level. They did what every band
during a growing phase tries to do here they wrote an
album with a much more mature sound, but without
forsaking the elements of their music that got them to
their current level of success which is the pitfall
that most other bands fall into. Mercy Me, Sadie, and
Back To Hell are three of the key tracks on here and
this record should cement this bands place at the
forefront of the new breed of punk.

3. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
I didn't think there was any way in hell that
Conor Oberst could out do his last effort, "Lifted, Or
The Story Is In The Soil Keep Your Ear To The Ground",
and he really didn't, however this album still reigns
supreme as one of the finest of the year. He really
didn't mess with the formula he created on past albums
like Lifted and Fevers and Mirrors, but this still
makes the list because he just keeps churning out disc
after disc of songs that make you question EVERYTHING.
Key tracks include At The Bottom of Everything,
Landlocked Blues, and Road To Joy.

4. Eisley - Room Noises
This album caught me completely off guard. I
wasn't all that thrilled when I heard the debut EP's
from this band but on their first full length album
they rerecorded alot of the songs that were on their
earlier releases and actually made them better. The
production is fantastic and they really make these
unique indie rock songs stand out from some of their
peers. The only thing that makes this band more
amazing is that they somehow can stand their family
enough to make their tour bus a traveling family
reunion. Brutal! Definite Key Track "Telescope Eyes"

5. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Alright here's the sentimental choice for the
year. My grandfather recently passed away and some of
the songs and themes on this record provided me alot
of comfort through that tough time. Once again I
didn't think this band could do any better than
Transatlanticism but I think this record is a worthy
follow up and at least equals the greatness of that
record. Also this record was produced by band member
Chris Walla which is an unbelieveable accomplishment
that he has such a creative, focused vision of what
his band's indie-pop should sound like. Key Tracks
include I Will Follow You Into The Dark, Crooked Teeth
and Marching Bands of Manhattan.

JoAnna's Top 5:

1. Thrice - Vheissu
This album is very different than previous albums, but it showcases the lead singer's voice so well that you won't mind. This cd has stayed in my cd player for weeks and weeks without rotation. It'll stay there.

2. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
This album came out earlier in the year (or at least it feels like it) and it was a great album. It's a good listen from start to finish. Yes, Mark Hoppus produced it, but we can forgive them for that.

3. A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner
I actually saw this band live before i knew who they were and they blew me away. I had to go out and get their album right away, and it did not disappoint. In fact, if you caught that Connections magazine with our cd review in it, their review is right underneath ours. Take that!

4. Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon
Ok, so it wasn't Hot Damn but it was still pretty damn good. The guitar riffs were fun and catchy...as far as hardcore music can be "catchy" anyways. A good disc to pick up if you're looking for something different. Don't expect any singing though.

5. Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil
Again, not as good as the previous album, but it grows on you each time you listen. Granted, the singer can't scream anymore (due to ripped vocal chords...he isnt supposed to sing/scream at all) but he still manages to keep his same style of vocals on the album. Great breakdowns, great drummer. (as always) I give em points for finally making it onto the big scene.

Wes's Top 5:

1. Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
It seems that most people either love Limbeck, or don't quite get it. I enjoy them a lot. I don't remember how I even first heard of this band a while back, but their last CD "Hi, Everything's Great" pretty much became my soundtrack to 2004. On their third effort they did it again. A nice helping of rock with some twang. I remember seeing these guys in downtown Orlando at the Social. The place was near empty and they still played one of the best live shows I've seen to this date. The albums' Songs "Parking Lot" and "Home (is where the van is)" are catchy as hell while tunes like "I Saw You Laughing" and "Names for Dogs" struck a nice personal chord with me. A nice combination of Limbeck and Old 97's pretty much inspired our song "Extra Twenty."


2. Sherwood - Sing, But Keep Going
Doug pretty much hit the nail on the head with describing this album. I got hooked on their debut EP and went out of my way to pre-order this when the time came. I was hooked. As I always do, I suggested that Doug take a listen it and he loved it as well. We went and saw them at Back Booth in Orlando a while back and that made me appreciate them even more. They sounded flawless. Daphne Loves Derby was boring.

3. Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead
First off all, yes. I am aware that every song on this CD sounds exactly the same. I had heard the CD "Dream to Make Believe" and thought it was average at best. Their latest release got so much hype that I couldn't help but take a listen. I really enjoy the fact that they released a concept album of sorts. I kept listening to WTDWYAD just to get a handle on the story that happens throughout the disc. Very intriguing. The first two tracks on this CD are by far the catchiest, but "A Quick Little Flight" offers a bit of variety, and the closing song "End of a Fraud" is pretty epic for them and really closes the story well.

4. Matthew Good - In A Coma
Apparently I'm the only person on earth who has heard of Matthew Good. His various CD's have been on constant rotation in my CD player for the last 5 years. This release was more or less a box set, squashing 10 years worth of material into a "Greatest Hits" type of disc. A handful of new and unreleased songs were added to the mix along with a second CD of acoustic versions of his best material, while a third disc was a DVD of all his music videos. I think there's enough new stuff on this disc to have it qualify. No one in the band understands why I appreciate his work. I stopped trying.

5. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory
This honestly would be my number six choice, but I forgot who I wanted to put at #5.
Anyway, this CD is catchy. All of us loved "I am the Movie" but this CD actually shows maturity in the songwriting. REAL maturity. Not the "hey our songs are 6 minutes long now, and have obnoxiously lengthy tites! We grew up!" kind of maturity.
Everyone and their Mom says that ENY sounds like MCS. We don't. They're just the only band with a synthesizer that you know of.

Yay for 2005.

I also suggest that you listen Weezer's "Make Believe" which was released this year and "We Are The Only Friends We Have" from Piebald even though it has been out for years and years. It's just freaking good.

-Wes

Hey, it's bert, that guy who aparently isn't aloud to join in on the frequent strip poker games that go on among the rest of the band. I'm sure it's better this way. Anyway, things are going pretty well with the band. Our show tomorrow up in Daytona should be a romping good time. It's our 50th show. Holy cow, 50 shows, we should wear party hats or something, hmmmmm.

Maybe there is a reason Wes is the only one who ever writes in the journal, he's the only one witty enough to actually keep people entertained. A couple of you have actually shown up and been dissapointed when you got to one of our shows and found that I was not wearing a yellow shirt. Blame Wes for dubbing me the captain of the yellow shirt brigade. But, I will be sure to be sporting yellow appearl at our show tomorrow, just incase someone is really depending on me to come through.

Thats really all I have. See you at the show

-bert

Hi. Guess who's hung over?

I put a new picture on our blog from when we played the Connections Live show at the Haven a few weeks ago. Thanks to Annie for taking the photo and the Haven for having such groovy lighting.
I'm the dorky looking guy in the photo who is trying to make playing the Moog look cool. Yeah, not happening.

Doug never answers his phone. He is ridiculous.
I'm still hacking up a lung. That is also ridiculous.
If anyone invented crust pie, I believe that could also be ridiculous.
I think Bert and JoAnna are both out of town. I am so out of the loop that I don't even know where my bandmates are. Ridiculous.

On to something that is not recognized as being ridiculous:
After a 6 month wait, our Sarcasm is Your Friend EP is finally available for download through the iTunes Music Store.
For all of you who want the CD, but hate waiting on mail order, then this is for you.
You can listen to 30 second clips of every song on iTunes, or go to our PureVolume page and stream the entire CD. Whatever.
Kudos to iTunes though, on the clips of our songs that they uploaded you really get to hear the catchiest part of each song with the exception of the song "Through My Eyes" where you basically just get to listen to the 30 second guitar rock-out part section thing.

I'm over that CD. Whatever.

Because of our work schedules we're only managing to squeeze in one practice before the Daytona show, so it's up in the air at this point whether or not we'll play anything new. We're trying to polish up 4 songs right now so they will sparkle and shine, but they may or may not see the light of day for a while yet. All of the old favorites will be played.
Sometimes we lose ourselves and end up playing a bunch of songs that aren't on the CD. I just think they're better.

Here's something crazy that happened today. I woke up around 2pm today since I got in quite late, walked out onto my porch to see how the weather was faring, and then I realized the terrible truth... the staircase leading up to my second story apartment was gone. GONE. The whole thing. The stairs, the railings, nowhere to be seen.
Seriously, what do you do in that situation? I was stuck on the second floor. Luckily, it appears that the maintenance crew was just replacing it since it's always been quite rickety. Over the next few hours there was a lot of yelling and loud banging outside my door, but as it stands now at 5pm, it appears to be finished and looking sturdy. Also, under one of the chairs on my porch I found a letter from my complex telling me this was scheduled to occur. It must have blown off my door and I didn't see it. Again, whatever.

Never a dull moment around here folks.

Doug never calls back. He is ridiculous.

-Wes

I like sandwiches.
My sister broke William Shakespeare's nose.
I'm a robot sent from the future to make Doug McPherson uncomfortable.

I had to go to work earlier than normal. That means I had to wake up earlier than usual. I hated the day.

Why is it that the closest Chinese restaraunt is one of the worst in town?
Why do I always pick up my mail at the same time my neighbors do?
Why is the Weatherman always wrong?

We may never know these answers, but what we do know is that we have some shows coming up. Fun shows. We hope.
We're planning some fun stuff for the 50th show in Daytona. Doug and I have good ideas. JoAnna disagrees. It's gonna be a party. It will probably end up being more like those parties you went to in the 6th grade. You know, when your mother made you go to the weird kid's party so he felt like he had friends? Yeah.

Even if I crank my air conditioning to full blast, it's still colder outside. And it's not even cold outside.

Doug and JoAnna should be meandering over to my apartment soon for some 'strings only' practice. I kid. I'd never exclude Bert from anything. Except strip poker.

I'm still coughing. Somehow I have to sing. This is not looking good. Whenever I cough at work, Doug tells me to spit the bad stuff out. He's like my mother. If my mother had a beer gut. And was a man. And was ugly.

We confirmed our local show for December! We'll be playing at Back Booth in downtown Orlando on Thursday, November 15th. We're playing with Luxembourg from Lakeland. They're quite good. Their shy, unwashed-looking guitar player used to work with me. Good guy. Needs a shave. Who am I to judge. He's better at life than me. Listen to their song "Home" because it's spectacular.

The day after the Back Booth show, November 16th, we're going BACK to Daytona Beach to play a show at the Coffee Connection for their grand reopening, or something of that nature.
If you go to www.coffeeshoptv.com apparently you can watch live broadcasts of their shows online. So if you have Real Player, you should be able to tune in and watch us play if you can't be there in person. We'd prefer you to be there. But if you can't... we dangle the carrot.

I think I've exceeded my link quota for this blog posting. Does anyone even read this thing? If you do, tell us and we'll give you a shout out or something. Are shout outs even cool anymore? I think that's another example of things P. Diddy used way too much and made uncool.

Chances are we won't book any more shows for December at this point (unless something really cool comes our way) and then Doug, Bert, and myself are all heading back to Ohio for a week to do fun things over the Christmas Holiday. Well, I'm sure they'll do fun things. I'll sit in my old room/closet and pretend I'm in Florida. I hate snow. More than nuts in brownies. Whose idea was it to put nuts in brownies anyway? I'd like to smack them. Unless it was a woman. I'd just let her off with a stern talking to. Unless it was Martha Stewart, because I would totally smack her.

Tomorrow is Friday. No work this weekend. Good.
Bert's leaving town again though. He's always leaving town. Maybe he can trade in his frequent flier miles for the drum set he wants. Wouldn't that be crazy?

You must be bored if you made it this far into the post. Consider this your intermission.

Crap. Lost my train of unthought.

Randomness accomplished.

-Wes